A Small Gift
by odalys-ortiz
Summary: Isaac's special day is coming up, but he is anything but excited. Will one gift from a good friend change his attitude? Isaac/Ellie pairing. Enjoy


Disclaimer: Here another sappy little story that involves out engineer and pilot couple. I do not own any content from Dead Space 2 other then the awesome game. Enjoy everyone:D

A Small Gift

It was the most important day in Isaac's life and also the most insignificant. He was never big when it came to celebrations of holidays. Those days reminded him too much of the family life on Earth that he wish he could just forget. The thing about this day is that people tend to just know about it, even when you tried to hide it. Just today when he started his maintenance shift, a fellow co-worker had quickly wished him a happy birthday. All Isaac could do not to be rude was to thank him.

In truth, he treated this day like any other because it just didn't feel that special to him. In his entire life, he couldn't remember something that happened on his day that didn't cause a sort of disappointing atmosphere. This was probably due to the fact that his childhood was all but a happy one. A few hours came and went with minimal incident and Isaac headed on home slightly exhausted. His body had grown stronger with all the work he has done because he used to be so sore the next morning that he couldn't walk.

Entering the apartment, he almost felt a bit lonely. He had been sharing it with Ellie but the unfortunate thing is that their work schedules were slightly different so she wouldn't be home for about another hour and a half. Isaac went to the bathroom to clean himself of the grim from crawling through dirty vents all day. It was a good feeling to him that nothing happened today. He and Ellie had been staying at this station for a good while now. Isaac knew though that someday he would have to go to Earth and confront the real person who was at fault for producing the Red Marker that was on Aegis VII.

It was the divine relic that was made by man, as said by Kendra. Isaac dried himself off and sat at the table in the kitchen. He treated this day like any other. No one ever really noticed how he really felt. The scaring from his childhood was deeper than any dark void in the universe, at least to him. Sadly, the source of misery had come from his mother, Octavia. He sighed to himself as he sat here alone, waiting for Ellie to come home.

After everything that had happened in his life, there was one bright star out there that helped him get through the day. Whenever he spent time with Ellie, whether be it talking or just watching a movie together, he felt somewhat happy for the first time in his life. A small smile crossed his face as he could hear the front door open and Ellie walked inside. Before he greeted her, he noticed a small, simply wrapped boxed in her arms.

He couldn't help but be curious if she had somehow found out what day it was. "Hey Ellie," he got off the table and walked over to her. "Hey." A look of frustration crossed her face. "You know Isaac; you can be an insensitive jerk sometimes." He put his hands up in defense. "Whoa, what did I do this time?" Ellie passed him and dropped off all of her equipment and the box on her bed. "We have known each other for a while now and you couldn't tell me it was your birthday today." She walked back over to him and lightly jabbed his shoulder.

"Ellie, it's not that I didn't want to tell you, honest. How did you find out, my co-workers?" She nodded and took the seat next to him. "They were trying to understand why you were attempting to act like it was nothing." "I really am not the kind of guy who celebrates that kind of thing." Isaac looked at Ellie and saw her face soften. "Isaac, if anyone deserves a little mirth in their life, it's you." Isaac sighed loudly.

"The truth is that I don't care for these types of things because my mother ruined them for me" he said with a hint of malice towards the end. "Isaac, moms are supposed to go all out for these types of things. They are supposed to make a big deal out of things like birthdays, graduations, weddings, and every other part of your life. Do…do you hate you mother?"

It was Isaac's turn to nod his head. "Why?" Now Isaac had to dig up a part of his past that he never thought that he would have to remember ever again. "Ellie, you had a normal life. I envy you so much because you have never been tainted by the stuff that we went through on the Sprawl before. The thing is that all of that stuff has been around in my life since the day I was born."

Ellie couldn't help, but be confused. They had talked about a lot of things when they met up after work, but never anything this personal. He was never this opened to her before. Ellie knew that Isaac trusted her and she trusted him but something about this was different and she was keen on listening to everything Isaac had to say tonight. "I hated my mother because she was a Unitologist too, Ellie."

The realization finally dawn on her as to why he hated these people so much. "Isaac…" He shook his head to dismiss whatever it was she was going to say. "I figured I might as well explain my reasons right." His eyes drifted towards the window as he thought back to his long forgotten and painful childhood.

"The thing is that everything was alright with my family. Yeah, sure my old man worked a lot and wasn't home, but it was still good. My dad spent four years on Earth so that meant that he would be around more. The only things that I really remember were the arguments between the two of them over the Unitology stuff that she was bringing into the house. Despite everything, I think that I had a normal life."

Isaac then brought up a hologram and type up something. "Then my dad disappeared. No one would tell me what happened when I was older and wanted answers." He showed Ellie the hologram that showed any information on Paul Clarke's disappearance was indeed classified. The feeling of sympathy traveled through her body but she didn't allow herself to say anything.

Isaac was the kind of guy who thought he didn't deserve sympathy for everything that had happened. When she had expressed a small amount, he became upset and left the apartment for about two hours. She would not make the same mistake again. "This was the one thing that pushed my mom over the edge to the point that she devoted everything to the Unitologist. She invited them over to the house to have meetings and I just went to my room. I was angry because it seemed like she was taking advantage of my father's absence. The thing that I hated most was all the money she poured into the church."

Isaac went back to the hologram and brought up his educational background. Handing it over to Ellie, she grazed over the information and found something a bit off. Isaac, as smart as he was, seemed to settle for a school that just didn't seemed to fit him. It was then that she put the puzzle pieces together. "I was so determined on going to the best school to follow my dad and further my engineering career…" Suddenly Isaac grabbed a cup and tossed it to the window shattering it.

Luckily the glass was sturdy and didn't crack, but Ellie couldn't help but jump at the sudden action. "Then she goes and spends all the money that my father had saved for me on the church. It's all because of them that I didn't get to go to the school that I really wanted. My mother just seemed to lose her love for me and poured everything she had into the church. One day, when I was older, I finally left home and finished school. Once I was out, I served in the Merchant Marines, then took a job with the CEC. Do you know how many times I talk to my mother during all this?"

Ellie shook her head. Isaac held up one hand and moved his thumb and index finger to a circular shape. "She just didn't bother and I didn't bother with her." "Isaac, I'm sorry." She wanted to watch her words carefully. "You don't have to be angry. That's all in the past. Besides, I'm sure that you mood would change eventually." "How would that even be possible, Ellie?" She got up and grabbed the box from the bed. "Maybe getting a gift would cheer you up." She held the crudely wrapped gift in front of him and Isaac couldn't hide the shocked expression on his face.

"Sorry about the crappy paper, I just thought about what to get you a few days ago. I figured you weren't gonna tell me anything so I just got this for you." Isaac just started to tear at the wrinkled brown paper, unsure of what he would discover. Out of everything he had felt during this day of the year, he could honestly believe that this was a new feeling. He wasn't sure what it was, but he could remember when he felt like this before.

It was when his father had been stationed on Earth and they were able to spend more time together. It was probably the happiest he had ever been in his life. Right now, holding this gift, he couldn't stop the small smile that tugged at his lips. Reaching his hand over the paper, he tore it off easily and was left with a bare white box. Removing the top revealed something that he never expected.

Looking up at him was the familiar Plasma Cutter that he had used to defend himself during the nightmares. He was confused to the purpose of this. He had gotten rid of the Plasma Cutter that he had used on the Sprawl because it just couldn't last. Then again, he did make it by fixing it to a flashlight. When he wrapped his right hand around the grip, he could feel something different.

It was almost like it was modified somehow to personally suit his need. There were a few differences from the one that he discovered on the Ishimura. The gun felt much more comfortable in his hand and it felt much lighter. Examining it closer, he noticed that the reduced weight was due to the lack of steel coating that was on the surface. Opening the barrel, he could see that it had been adjusted so that the ammunition could travel faster, thus allowing for quicker shots. Isaac couldn't help but be amazed at how much better this Plasma Cutter was compared to the others he had.

As he looked at the bottom of the grip, something caught his eye. Engraved in the steel were the initials I.C. He put the tool down on the bed and looked at Ellie, who waited anxiously for his response. In the end, she spoke up before he could ask the question. "I thought that maybe you would like this. Isaac, you deserve to be happy at least once in your life." An unsure look crossed her features as she waited for him to say something.

On the other side of the spectrum, Isaac was baffled as to what she could possibly had meant. Did she really think that he had been completely miserable? "Come on Isaac, do you like it? I starting to wonder if I just wasted my time" she said with mock anger. "Ellie…I don't know what to say." She could keep the smile from growing on her face. "I guess that means you like it. Even if you can't say it, you don't need to. You're welcome." "Ellie, I'm happy just being with you. I really didn't need all this" he blurted out on a whim.

She suddenly felt a ting of red appear on her face. "What in the heck are you talking about? Don't say stupid stuff like that because a girl might get the wrong idea." Isaac chuckled slightly at her comment. "It's true. I've never had a dull moment with you, even on the Sprawl." Ellie changed her position and sat on a chair across from him. "What are you talking about? Of course it couldn't be dull because we talk and do things all the time together." Looking at her face, Isaac searched his mind in trying to understand why he felt so right when he was with Ellie, even when they first met on the Sprawl. The processing of everything finally helped him come up with the reason.

It was the trust he had for her to never lie to him. After the incident with Daina, he was weary when he saw Ellie battling the Slasher from behind the grate. When she shot at him, he knew that she would not try to use him or turn him in. "It's not that Ellie. It's just that I haven't really met many people that I could trust." All she could do was shrug her head. "It's not like I had any other choice," she said jokingly.

Then she stepped up from the chair and went to Isaac's side, taking a seat next to him. "In all seriousness though Isaac, I want to be here with you." He smiled again and then consciously wrapped his arm around Ellie's more slender shoulders. They passed the time watching the stars and the moons circle the station. Eventually he could feel her drift asleep while he was still very much awake. He never moved to make himself more comfortable. He just couldn't bring himself to do it. It's funny how his birthday turned out. In the end, this was the moment of comfort and friendship that he would really cherish forever.

A/N: I hope you guys enjoyed that. I was on and off with this story FOREVER. Plz read and review everyoneXD


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